Willingness to pay for environmentally linked clothing at an event: visibility, environmental certification, and level of environmental concern

ABSTRACT

Apparel and the attributes they portray have an opportunity to influence the willingness to pay (WTP) of those who purchase them. While there have been a number of studies examining WTP, few examine purchases in a festival setting. The goal of this study was to explore participants’ WTP for apparel based on a more external motivation (visible environmental message) and/or an internal motivation (environmentally sustainable certification) at a festival. A total of 427 structured surveys were administered at a folk music festival in Canada. The study examined two differing approaches to product design for environmentally linked apparel: a message visible on the outside of the garment vs. an environmental certification inside the garment. A contingent valuation methodology was used to measure WTP and analysis conducted with Repeated Measures ANOVA. Results indicate that both product designs significantly increased WTP for the t-shirt as described. Implications of this study suggest that an enhanced understanding of the factors influencing attendee’s WTP for apparel attributes can lead to better meeting the wants of attendees, more sales and higher margins on sales.

KEYWORDS:

• Willingness-to-pay
• festival marketing
• clothing
• fair trade certification
• sustainable consumption messages

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Robert E. Pitts’ research explores the application of consumer psychology to marketing strategy. Appearing in the top journals in marketing and travel, his work has been cited almost 2000 times. He is a past President of the Academic Council – Vice President of the Education Division of the American Marketing Association.

Rachel Dodd’s work focuses on practical, applied management and the development of tourism. Her main research focus encompasses sustainability issues in tourism and she recently produced a guide for greening festivals at http://greenfestivals.ca.

Wayne W. Smith is Associate Professor at Department of Hospitality and Tourism, School of Business, College of Charleston, USA. His work has a focus on consumer behaviour and the financial management of festivals and events.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Canadian Province of Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change [grant number 1-51-52544].